


Gungnir

by afinch



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Pre-Canon, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-22
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-10-28 09:55:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10828896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afinch/pseuds/afinch
Summary: Never mind the expected path their fathers have laid out them. It must be a right of passage, defying the Black Family.





	1. The Flight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [crazykookie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazykookie/gifts).



When she walked out of the Hogwarts grounds in late June 1969, she was unsurprised to see a member of her family there. It was her cousin, the one who supposedly had died more than 10 years ago. Of course. Send someone Dumbledore or other school authorities couldn't identify for when she disappeared from public life, only to reappear the day of the wedding. It was clever, Andromeda thought, and she was surprised her family had enough actual cleverness to think of it. 

"If you're going to drag me and lock me in a tower for two years before forcing me to marry Lucius Malfoy, it's never going to happen," she informed her cousin. "As Ted Tonks and I married in Hogsmeade two months ago." 

The woman in front of her, silver blonde hair and a head shorter than Andromeda, coolly looked her younger cousin up and down. Andromeda clenched her fists, preparing herself for what was sure to be an untimely end.

"Cuz," her cousin said, with hurt in her voice. "I'm here to take you on a summer you'll never forget. Married, huh? So disgracing the Black name really does run in the family. Well, no matter. We've got to get to Majorica, where Dragonfire and Dreams are playing."

Andromeda looked back towards the school. Dumbledore had seen everyone off, but he was strolling down the path, and Andromeda had the feeling he was looking for either her or Ted. He had expressed dismay that they'd found an official in Hogsmeade to legally marry them, but as they were of age, he couldn't have stopped them. He had promised to try to look out for them, but both of them, filled with the teenage arrogance that they were invincible, had politely insisted Dumbledore was making far too big a deal out of things. Nevertheless, Ted had run out the second he could, Andromeda had told him to lay low while she faced her family. They'd kill him before they killed her. They hadn't actually killed Merak, but tensions were heating up and marrying a muggleborn was probably a worse crime than announcing you were really a girl and you weren't going to Hogwarts, as Merak had done. So here she was, not two steps out of the Hogwarts gates, and Dumbledore, the old bat, had a bit of wisdom in him. Too late for anything to happen now.

She turned back to her cousin, and sighed. If she resisted and Dumbledore came to get involved, it was only going to make things worse. "Okay," she nodded. "Okay, let's get this over with."

The woman grinned and grabbed Andromeda roughly by the shoulders. The last thing Andromeda heard before they disapparated away was the startled shouting of Albus Dumbledore. _'You've failed, Headmaster'_ she thought. _'Another pureblood you couldn't save'_.

She was jolted from her thoughts by a very rough landing on some rocky ground in what appeared to be not too far from Hogsmeade. She could see the castle from here, and the rows of cottage roofs at the edge of the village. She could run. But her cousin was standing, beaming. Probably pleased she'd got one over on Dumbledore. Not that she knew anything of Dumbledore, or she'd know how easy a victory that was.

"We could have walked," Andromeda grumbled. She still didn't trust that this wasn't a trap, but she was going to meet her fate honestly. "What name are you using now, anyway?" 

"Oh you're going to love this," said her cousin. "I am Cissy. It's a long story, I will explain it all later. Because we have time. I am not ready to accept my fate. I figured you wouldn't be ready to accept yours, so why not go on adventures for a few years, but you may have gone and buggered that up." She shrugged. "We'll see what happens after Majorica. Port key should be right around here, it's a bean can."

Andromeda took a few deep breaths. So much information, all unloaded at once. It was making her head spin. "So you're not … wait, what? Cissy? Like Narcissa? As in, my dead sister? Why would you do that?"

Cissy laughed, "Don't try to understand. Just come have fun with me. You were always the best cousin. I mean, it was you and ... Bellatrix …"

She trailed off, but didn't need to add any thought to that. Andromeda's twin sister was, in a word, psychotic. She was marrying Rodolphus, and it hadn't been arranged or agreed to. The two of them had fallen in love from Sorting Day, both of them instant Slytherins. They bonded over tormenting Andromeda over her near hat-stall, before the hat placed her in Slytherin.

"They're going to kill me, or worse, Ted, eventually," Andromeda said. "I'm not sure I should be prolonging that."

Cissy raised a brow, "You're breeding age, Andi, as long as you don't pop out some half-breed they'll let you galavant about until Malfoy is ready and then you'll have to give up the ghost and accept your fate. But that's two years! What were you going to do with those two years anyway?"

Only her cousin called her Andi, everyone else called her what she prefered, Dromeda. But her cousin was difficult and liked to play with expectations. As kids, she was Andi, and her cousin was Mira, and they were boy and girl, but switched. In fact, Merak was always the girl in her memories …

_Dromeda was four and Merak was eight._

_"We're going to play pirates!" he announced to a bored looking Bellatrix and curious looking Andromeda. "You," he thrust a sword at Bellatrix, "can be the Pirate King." Bellatrix perked up at this, she liked being the one who was actually in charge. "And one of us will be the princess and the other the daring scoundrel who rescues her!"_

_"Merak, you be the princess, I'll be the scoundrel!" cried Andromeda, because being the princess was rather boring. You sat there tied up and watched the other two fight until you were either 'killed' or 'rescued'. Then you'd start all over again with a different scenario._

_Merak liked being the princess anyway, he even put on frilly pink dress up robes for it._

_Bellatrix turned to Andromeda. "I'm going to kill you," she said calmly. A shiver ran through Andromeda. It almost sounded as though her sister meant it._

Andromeda shook her head, clearing the memory. Bellatrix was a cold plague, slowly infecting you the more you thought about her. And the more you thought about her, the more power she had. And the more power she had, the hungrier she became. She was in every memory, every happy moment with her cousin.

Could maybe this be a chance to know her cousin as she actually was? Would her cousin accept her for who she was? Maybe. Maybe not. Did her cousin really expect her to run away for two years? Could she do that to Ted? Ted. What was he going to think when she disappeared without a trace?

"I was thinking Healer," she said, shyly, getting back to Mira- Cissy's question. Cissy, Cissy, Cissy, she told herself over and over again. Cissy, Cissy, Cissy. Mira had been through so many names through the years, it was easier to just keep her as Mira, but for right now, for this trip, for whatever Cissy had planned, she could be Cissy. It would probably change - it always changed.

"Oh, perfect," Cissy said. "You've got more than enough time, come on." She once again grabbed Andromeda, and touched the now-glowing port-key. The two were whisked away, Andromeda realizing far too late that she'd left her bookbag behind.

*

Dumbledore stared at the bookbag. It was Andromeda's. Slytherin, but with some heavy yellow modifications for Edward. He fingered it lightly. "And it was an unauthorized portkey?"

The DMLE witch nodded. "I'm sorry, sir," she said, and looked it. "We have no way of tracking her or the woman she was with past this point. It's a wonder we found a backpack, I'm thinking it wasn't intended to be left behind. Possibly Andromeda managed to leave it. It doesn't look like there was a struggle - it may have been all she could do."

Dumbledore straightened up. He looked devastated and yet, slightly proud as well. He was keen on the idea of Andromeda leaving him breadcrumbs. "But you'll pass the description around? See if anyone knows anything or recognizes the blonde witch?" he asked. He hesitated, then added, "Marisa, I need you to keep this next bit quiet. But Edward Tonks - Ted, he goes by Ted, married her in April." A beat, then, "He's a Muggleborn."

Marisa raised a brow, "And this isn't public knowledge yet, how? Well, I suppose if they requested it just be filed and not announced, someone would have to know to go looking for it." She'd answered her own question, but she still looked to Dumbledore for some sort of explanation.

He threw up his hands, "The young think they can break the world. Usually they learn their lesson in far less dire circumstances. I shall speak to Edward, let him know that her disappearance is being investigated and he should proceed with caution."

"He has rights, Albus," Marisa chided softly. "I can't stop him if he-"

"He won't," Dumbledore said firmly. I'll see to it."

Had Dumbledore known he wasn't the only one to begin looking, he might have approached things differently. 

At the same time the DMLE and Dumbledore were investigating a backpack, Cygnus Black was giving Orion Black an earful.

"I've taken Andi off on an adventure. Don't worry, _daddy_ , I'll have her back in time to marry Malfoy," Cygnus thundered, reading the text of an owl letter. "What has your child done?!"

Orion sank wearily into a chair. "It seems I cannot be rid of it," he said. "I cannot bury my son without _her_ wreaking havoc on all we had planned. I am sorry, my brother. We shall find them. I'll take Rosier and we'll track them down. You've a wedding to prepare for; it's not every day a father sees his daughter married."

"She will marry Lestrange," Cygnus agreed. "And when we drag them back, Dromeda will be a proper lady who does as she is told and will marry Malfoy. Our lines will continue. Our Lord demands it."

At this, Orion looked up, "Could we not involve him?"

"And let him know we have failed?" Cygnus shot back. "He need not know. He will attend their weddings and they will give him the first generation of a clean Kingdom. Your plan is excellent, Orion, and I thank you for continuing to understand the responsibility that is yours to bear of your child's."

Neither of them could say the same Merak, they had not spoken it since the 'funeral'.

Orion, put in his place with Cygnus' comments, stood. "Ah, my brother, I am helping family with their troublesome daughters. Think nothing of it. It is what we do for family."

"Always," Cygnus echoed.


	2. The Night in Palma

The first port-key dropped them in Calais where they waited two hours for a second port-key to take them to Carcassonne. It was another hour wait, and the cousins passed the time discussing the evolution of the romance of one Muggleborn Ted Tonks and the very pureblood Andromeda Black. 

Cissy didn't offer judgement, of which Andromeda was glad. Yes, her cousin had been a boy and now at least looked like a woman (Andromeda was reserving her own judgement on that situation), but Andromeda didn't know her thoughts on blood purity. Her cousin might still believe in the purity of blood. Even with how the family had treated her. Sure, they'd kept her around, but only because of the bloodline that ran through her veins. It was, as she had reminded Andromeda, important that they breed more purebloods. They would find someone for Cissy to have a baby with, just as they found someone for Andromeda to breed with.

Andromeda was glad when the port-key activated and the conversation stopped. Talking about Ted made her realize he was going to have no idea what was happening. Would he go to Dumbledore? Should she be thinking about that right now? She shook her head, resolving to put Ted out of her thoughts as she gripped the port-key.

It dropped them in Palma, on Majorica, at what looked to be a failed resort. Andromeda felt instantly out of place, not least because of her school robes, but everyone around was dressed … differently. 

"Welcome to the world of real rock, kid," said Cissy. She was still beaming, broader than she had before. "They're a take no questions, accept them as they come, music movement. It's gonna change the world. Let's get you some clothes, I've got a room upstairs."

Andromeda looked queasy, "A room here? Why? Maybe I should just …"

Cissy stopped, already halfway to the staircase - a staircase that looked as though a good breeze would blow it over - and looked unconcerned. "Andi," she said plaintively, "you're already here. You've missed the train. Besides, I sent Daddy a little note, so he knows you're gone."

Andromeda closed her eyes, "You sent him a note?"

Cissy grinned, "Yup. Damage done. Come on."

This was going to end in a pile of fire. But … in for a knut, right? Cissy looked happier than she had ever been and … she was right. Andromeda wasn't ready to face the music. She'd have to owl Ted, eventually, but for right now, shedding her Slytherin robes and seeing what Cissy had planned seemed like the best course of action.

She followed her cousin up the staircase (which held itself together, but she had her doubts about the return trip down) and through narrow hallways to a small … closet.

"Cuz, this is a closet," Andromeda said. "Not a room."

"You take what you get," Cissy said, rummaging through a bag of clothes on the floor. She would take an article out, hold it up, shake her head, and toss it onto the world's smallest mattress - it had to have been magically shrunk down to fit into the space.

"Aha!" Cissy cried, holding up a blue twisted shirt in one hand and some black trousers in another. "These are perfect for you, Andi!"

They did not look perfect for her. They looked tight and uncomfortable and distinctly Muggle. They looked very out of place for Andromeda.

"Do I have to?" she asked. "Anything else? A little more … me?"

Cissy frowned and rummaged through the bag with one hand. "I've got this," she said, holding up some magenta robes with a bright green looping design on them. Andromeda felt dizzy just looking at them. But better to wear them herself than look at them as Cissy wore them.

"I'll take it!" she decided, grabbing the robes. It was easy enough to slip into them, though they were a little short - probably originally for Cissy, and she was much shorter than Andromeda. 

"Perfect! Let's go rock out!" said Cissy, jumping up and dragging Andromeda by the arm, back down the narrow hallway, and banging down the stairs, which creaked and groaned from the effort of holding them. Andromeda held her breath, certain this time the staircase was going to collapse. It held, and they wound their way through the back of the hotel to reveal a makeshift stage with a band that looked thrown together from scraps playing. 

"This is the Smashing Pumpkins brand new. Bit weird in person, but they have a nice beat to them. Lead guy has a two year old, Billy. You'll see him around, he comes everywhere with the band. Dragonfire and Dreams will play late tonight. After Smashing Pumpkins is …"

Andromeda tuned out as Cissy rattled off bands and facts. Most of them were ad-hoc bands just thrown together in the heat of the moment - for the love of music, Cissy was explaining, but Andromeda was taking in the scene. Most people around were dressed just as vividly as she was, and nobody seemed concerned about anything but the music. 

For the first time since leaving Hogwarts, Andromeda relaxed.

By the time one am rolled around, it felt like it had been a week since leaving Hogwarts, not just a matter of half a day. The headliner, Dragonfire and Dreams, was coming on to stage, and Andromeda was instantly hooked on them. 

"Gotta Sam, Gotta Sam, Twisted Mudblood, Hit Up The Sam, Love, Break and Die" belted the lead vocalist.

Andromeda had no clue what it meant, but when the chorus came up again, she belted right along with him, cheering and whooping when she was finished. She leaned against Cissy, laughing hysterically. 

"I have no idea what I'm doing," she laughed to Cissy. 

Cissy brushed some hair out of her face. "Knew you'd liven up," she said. She patted Andromeda's face gently. "Come on, if you loved Cauldron Blues, you're going to love Wands Up."

Wands Up was the same disjointed lyrics that Cauldron Blues had been, with a chorus of 'Wands up! Wands up! Everybody wands up!' over and over again. Andromeda didn't like it as much, but it was still eclectic and energizing. 

When the music finally stopped at 4am, Andromeda was too tired to sleep. Also, hungry.

"What are we going to do for money?" she asked. "I have nothing. You have noth- no?"

Cissy was shaking her head. "Time to let you in on the secret, huh? Let's get down to the front, there'll be some food spread there. Hope you're okay with food on a stick."

The crowd was thinning, but up in the main entrance, it seemed a second party was beginning, as vendors had set up food shops. Cissy was right, all the food was on a stick. Andromeda shied back as Cissy paid for two legs of … something. She didn't ask, just gratefully took the meat and started to chow down.

"So," Cissy started. "I'm Cissy, yea? Narcissa, to be exact. Narcissa Black, youngest daughter of Cygnus and Druella. Betrothed to Rabastan Lestrange, whom I will marry in '73 when I graduate whatever magical school I've been shipped off to." She threw her arm around Andromeda, "I'm your sis now, cuz. Your _younger_ sis."

Andromeda choked on her food. "You what? How? Why?"

Cissy shrugged, "Like the Black family is going to waste perfectly good pure blood. They couldn't embarrass themselves by sending me to Hogwarts when I insisted on being who I am, so they killed me off … probably because they had this solution in mind. They just took a while to tell me. Probably had to promise the Lestranges half their estate. I refused to go along unless I got my fair share of Orion and Walburga's inheritance. Now I have it, now I'm going to blow it before settling into a life of pureblood wife tedium. Love the wife part. Hate the tedium."

"That is beyond absurd," Andromeda said, returning to her food. "And disgusting. How are they to keep people from finding out?" She knew. She knew without Cissy saying anything, that the only people who were going to know already knew and had signed off on it. Hell, Sirius and Regulus didn't even know they'd _had_ an older sibling. They hadn't been by to visit in years and years and logically had never meant Narcissa. 

In their pureblood world, births were heavily announced, but deaths less so. Everyone knew Druella had been expecting a third baby, and hoping for a boy. When nothing grand was announced, few people paid attention to the fact the baby hadn't made it. Most outside the Black family would have assumed another girl warranted little to no attention until she was of marriageable age. It was a plan that worked. Disgustingly and horrifically, but it worked.

"Can we just … can we just traipse around Europe, and you're still my older cuz and we don't have to face reality until …" Andromeda trailed off. 'Until they've figured out I've married Ted and come with chains' she thought. 

Cissy beamed, "That's exactly what I was thinking."

*

Ted Tonks had been told to lay low, that the Black family was likely not going to react well to the news that Andromeda was forsaking her entire family for a muggleborn. He had expected radio silence. He had not expected to wake up the morning after leaving Hogwarts to see his wife's face on the front page of the Daily Prophet.

BLACK HEIRESS KIDNAPPED read the headline and Ted nearly fainted. Andromeda had been last seen walking out the gates of Hogwarts when she was grabbed from behind and forcibly Apparated, or so the paper said. It said they'd found her bookbag abandoned outside Hogsmeade, with no trace of her. It said a ransom note had been owled to the Black family. It said nothing of Ted Tonks. It said nothing of motive. 

He was distracted by a knock at the door. He was not surprised to see Dumbledore.

"They took her," Ted said, weakly, by way of greeting. "They took her and they're making it look like a kidnapping and they- I should go. I should go to the Ministry and tell them that I'm her husband and that -"

"Edward," Dumbledore said calmly. "Ted, take a deep breath. My sources both inside the Ministry and out tell me that the Black family did not plan this. They have no idea what is going on. I'm here to ask you what Andromeda has planned."

Ted shook his head, "She didn't do this. We didn't … she was going to go home and tell them she was revoking the Black name and rejecting her inheritance and then she was going to find me … they didn't do this? You're sure?"

"The woman who grabbed Andromeda is not a known Black," Dumbledore said. "Blonde hair, petite, very out of place robes. Andromeda seemed to either know her or accept that she was there."

While it was true that only the innermost Black family members knew what was going on, Andromeda had told Ted everything; there was little he didn't know about the Black family. It appeared this was something he knew that Dumbledore did not. "Sir," he said quietly. "Could it maybe have been Merak?"

And once again, had Dumbledore had all the facts, he might have done things differently. 

The same paper Ted received was on the cold marble dining room table of the Black House. The house was slowly filling with well-wishers and concerned purebloods. The Malfoys were there, though their son was not present. Orion paced nervously, while Cynus stood stoic. In a corner, both wives whispered. Sirius and Regulus were sitting in front of the fire, but Bellatrix and Narcissa were 'safely stashed away'.

"This will work," Orion murmured to Cygnus. "They will come home when they see this."

"They had better," Cygnus agreed. "Has Rosier picked up anything?"

Rosier could move about far more easily than Orion could, and he did, having tracked the pair to Calais and then Carcassonne. Orion relayed this to Cygnus, who nodded.

"They will come home, one way or the other."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just going to leave a note here that Billy Corgan was born in 1967 and what you think you know of his childhood and early life is entirely a fabrication.


	3. Sisters At Play

Three months later, deep in the forests of Germany, Andromeda's favorite song was still Cauldron Blues from Dragonfire and Dreams, but the bands were varied and few and far between. In the almost uncountable number of parties and ad-hoc festivals, she'd only seen Dragonfire and Dreams six times. 

The Black Sisters were playing in a small forest grove, surrounded by a crowd of about 100. Three acts had played before them, and Godric's Light would play after them, followed by Spunkers, the headliner - or as headlined as ad-hoc concerts could get. The Black Sisters were a small act, just two, a singer and a guitarist (with accompanying fuzzbox). The guitarist was a waifish woman with blonde hair that seemed to reach the floor, while vocals were done by a short dark-haired woman who carried herself wildly across the stage. Her lyrics, mostly incomprehensible, were harsh and angry, and a times the crowd didn't know what to make of her.

Not tonight. The crowd was going wild for her lyrics, screaming in high pitches at all the right times, the crescendo echoing across the empty woods. 

"We love you, Andi!" someone in the crowd yelled.

"Mira rocks!" yelled another. 

The song ended with a long guitar solo. The crowd pushed towards them as the two exited the pile of logs that made up the stage.

Cissy shook her head and tried to brush them away, "No, no, come on, we're tired." 

Her small voice had no effect on them, and they pressed tighter, with words of praise and questions about fuckable availability. "Mira, are you seeing anyone?" "Mira, you're the best player out here." "Mira, come back to my tent, yea?" "You two need some sausage to go with those eggs." Some asked to join the band. 

Cissy tried again, "We really need to get some food."

Andromeda took a once over at the crowd. "MOVE!" she bellowed, and the crowd scattered back from them to let them pass through. 

"You don't have to be such a bitch off the stage," someone muttered.  
"Yea, you're so cold," added another.  
"Definitely the mean sister."

_Dromeda was seven and Merak eleven._

_"I don't want to be the nice sister," Andromeda complained to her cousin. "But even when I'm mean, she's meaner."_

_"Why do you want to be mean?" asked Merak. "I like you nice. You're the only nice one in our family."_

_"You're nice too," Andromeda protested. "And you get things when you're mean. When you twist your face up like this-" she scrunched her face into a startling mirror of Bellatrix's regular expressions, "-people give you things. All the time. And I don't want to be a Hufflepuff. Bellatrix says-"_

_Merak laughed, "You're not a Hufflepuff. You're too cunning to be a Hufflepuff."_

_"What's that mean?"_

_"It means you're smarter than Bellatrix and you get people to give you things without having to bully them into it."_

_Andromeda shook her head, "No, I'm going to be the nice sister and be a Hufflepuff. Bellatrix said."_

_"Everyone thinks I'm going to be a Gryffindor," said Merak, and Andromeda's eyes widened. Being a Gryffindor was worse than just about anything. They were the real scoundrels. Even at a young age, Andromeda knew she would never allow herself to be a Gryffindor. She'd rather leave Hogwarts. "And disgrace the family name and nobody will like me anymore."_

_"I'd still like you," Andromeda said automatically. She then pouted. "I am too nice. I'm a Hufflepuff."_

_"I'm not going to be a Gryffindor," Merak said resolutely. "I'm not going. I'm not going to school at all."_

_This was even _more_ scandalous than being a Gryffindor to the little girl and she gasped in horror. Her cousin ruffled her hair._

_"You're all right, cuz. Some things are going to change, that's all. I know you'll still be nice to me, at the end." Merak said it as a statement, not a question, but little Andromeda nodded her head fiercely._

_"You're the only one I like," she declared._

Back in Germany, Andromeda drew Cissy closer. "Come on, cuz, I'm over this."

"Take us home," whispered Cissy. And Andromeda didn't need to be told twice. She apparated both women from the crowd (who let out loud 'awwwws' of disappointment). 

They arrived back 'home', a small tent on the outskirts of the forest. Nearby, clothesline hung from trees; on one line were various robes and muggle clothing articles, on another line were pots and pans, while a third line held lumpy burlap sacks.

Andromeda expertly pointed her wand to the cold fire pit and in an instant, it sprang to life with blue and green flames. She moved her wand to a burlap sack and six small potatoes rolled out and around the edges of the fire. With another flick, she and Cissy were de-robed and the robes set themselves to dunking in a bucket of rainwater. 

"It's almost too cold for that," Cissy half-complained. She was picking through the clothes, trying to decide what to wear next. 

"I like it," Andromeda said stubbornly. "It's relaxing. Besides, warmer here than anywhere on The Island would be."

Andromeda had to call it The Island. She couldn't call it home without a lump rising in her throat. She still had not owled Ted, and thinking about him would send her into crying spells that Cissy couldn't tame. The spells happened less and less now, especially since forming their own band, but just to be safe, it was That Place Far Away, nothing but The Island, somewhere she wasn't ready to go back to.

"Speaking of The Island, there's going to be a bash in Wales," Cissy said. She was now comfortably in a Muggle sweat outfit and meandered over to look at the potatoes.

"We can't go to The Island," Andromeda said calmly. "We have to finish building up a base here so we can start getting paid gigs."

Cissy rolled her eyes at this. "We have money. Lots of it. More than we'll ever need." 

"I could start saving up to get into the Healer program." Andromeda said. She hadn't raised her voice. It had taken her a while to learn that she didn't _need_ to, except in the most extenuating of circumstances. 

"I'll pay for it," Cissy offered. "If you come to Wales with me. For one night. We can come back here after."

Andromeda hesitated.

That was all Cissy needed. She beamed. "Perfect! After dinner, we'll leave. You finish dinner, and I'll go get us some port-keys."

The Island. Just like that, it was back. She hadn't heard anything from Ted. Or her parents. Or her aunt and uncle. Or Dumbledore. She didn't know why she expected to hear from Dumbledore. He'd seen her snatched away after she'd turned down his help, why would he send her an owl?

"Because you still need saving," Andromeda murmured to herself. 

*

The mood in the Black House was a dour one. NO NEWS ON MISSING BLACK HEIRESS screamed across the Daily Prophet. It was summer, and uneventful, and there was nothing else to talk about except the continued misfortunes of the Black family. It drew too much attention to them at a time when they did not want attention to them. 

They'd been forced to postpone the wedding, which left Bellatrix in a fit. "I. Want. To. Be. Married. Now." she would run up and down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs, as if Andromeda was playing hide and seek and refusing to reveal her hiding place inside the house. She crashed abruptly into the study.

"Tell me why I can't go look for her," she demanded of the adults in the room. She had interrupted something, they were wearing dark masks of some sort. Rather than be intimidated by this turn of events, Bellatrix stood with her hands on her hips. "And I want a mask of my own too."

One adult removed his mask while the others stood, speaking in low whispers.

"Bellatrix," said Orion patiently. "You're still in hiding, remember? You and your sister Narcissa are staying safe."

"No." Bellatrix said, folding her arms across her chest. "They're having FUN SOMEWHERE. And I'M STUCK. If I'm STUCK, I want to DO something."

A few of the adults exchanged glances behind their masks. Many were nodding their heads.

Orion nodded back.

"Very well. Come inside and close the door."

"Close the door," Dumbledore echoed to Ted, and Ted meekly did so. 

"Your information ... I have a vast network, but penetrating the Black family has been difficult. Your knowledge of Merak not having died tragically just before starting Hogwarts, and of confirming that Narcissa was still-born, is invaluable." Dumbledore paused, then continued, "We know where they are."

Ted looked thrilled, "What are we waiting for? Let's-"

Dumbledore held up a hand. "Ted, there is a group of pure-blood elitists gaining power. I've known about them for quite some time, and they are steadily making gains at Hogwarts. They are calling themselves the Death Eaters. They too, know who Merak is and are hot on his tail."

"Her," Ted quietly corrected. "Mira is a her."

Dumbledore looked annoyed by this, but brushed it off. "Regardless. The Wizard going by the name of Cissy, and our Andromeda, going by the name of Andi, are being sought, equally, by two separate forces. We know where they are, but I fear we cannot get to them in time."

"Witch," Ted pushed, his hand curling into half a fist. 

"It matters little, Edward."

"IT," Ted said, his voice rising. "Matters a lot. Sir. Where are Mira and my wife?" 

Ted phrased the question in such a way to be able to use Mira's name, and that was not lost on Dumbledore, who was quickly losing patience. "Edward, what matters is where Merak's loyalty is. It matters what Andromeda will do if they are caught by the Black family and pureblood loyalists, of which Merak may still be one."

"Dumbledore, I think it's time you leave," Ted said, firmly. Where just minutes ago he had been meek and quite scared, he was now scared and angry, and that was worse. 

The man did not look hurt by this at all and turned sharply and swept out the door.

"I think it's time our paths diverge," Ted said softly to the retreating back of Dumbledore. He softly closed the door and whistled for his owl.


	4. The First Time

_The first time Merak said anything about being Mira, it did not go well, though still better than it could have._

_"Father?" the small pale boy said, standing in his father's study. "Father, you love me no matter what, right?"_

_Orion looked at his son. "What did you do?"_

_Merak shivered slightly and stuttered over his words, "I didn't do anything Father. I just …" he trailed off, unsure how to say the words._

_"You just what, Merak?" Orion said sharply. "Use your words and stand behind them. I won't have a weakling for a son."_

_Merak straightened up and took a deep breath. "I'm not your son, I'm your daughter."_

_The reaction from Orion was tepid to say the least. "Merak, whatever silly game you think this is, I don't have time. Go bother Kreacher with this, he has to listen to you."_

_"My name is Mira," the little boy protested._

_"I don't have time for your nonsense!" Orion roared._

_Scared, the child ran from the room, up the stairs, and to the attic, the only safe place in the house. Kreacher had been listening, for he was already up there and did not move as his charge angrily fell into a pile of soft robes and began to quietly sob._

_"Master, tell me what it is," Kreacher said._

_"Not Master. Mistress," came a mumble from the robes._

_"Mistress, tell me what it is," Kreacher corrected._

_The little girl lifted her head and peered at the elf. "Really?" she said. "Just like that?"_

_The elf smiled, "I am your Kreacher, whomever you are to me." ___

__The first time Andromeda said no to her father, she was standing by Lake Constance, near St Gall. They had been waiting for a port-key to take them to The Island, but was not to activate for several hours. No matter, they could wait. Ever impatient, Cissy had run off, while Andromeda doodled some new lyrics. The pop of apparation didn't surprise her, and she barely looked up, only jumping to her feet in alarm when she realized who it was. It was just Cygnus, and no one else. She was surprised. She'd expected at least Uncle Orion to come as well._ _

__"Where is your …" her father began to ask and trailed off, unsure of what to say._ _

__Andromeda raised a brow, "Cissy? My little sister? She went into the village to learn some music from the Muggles."_ _

__Cygnus bristled at this. "You … dare … to …"_ _

__There were a number of things he could have had issue with. Andromeda considered this._ _

__"It's lucky, Father, that Mother has blonde hair, isn't it? It's how you'll be able to pass Mira off as Narcissa."_ _

__"It is an anomaly," Cygnus agreed. "We should have realized far earlier something was wrong with- with-"_ _

__All these years later, he still couldn't say the name. It might have moved Andromeda to some pity, if they weren't where they were._ _

__"With Merak," Andromeda pushed._ _

__Cygnus nodded, and looked wearily at Andromeda. "I need my daughters to come home," he said softly. "It is far too long, and the papers speak of your disappearance. Your mother is worrying herself sick."_ _

__"No," Andromeda said, and the word tickled over her tongue, giving her power._ _

__Cygnus looked shocked. It beat him down, the words; he had not been expecting them. He had not been expecting what he found._ _

__"You will obey," Cygnus said firmly._ _

__"No," Andromeda said again. "I can't. I married Ted Tonks. He's a Muggleborn. I can't and I don't want to go with you."_ _

__She didn't even have her wand ready._ _

__Cygnus had his wand out in seconds. Before he could fire at Andromeda, there was a small pop and another Wizard appeared._ _

__"Whoa, let's all calm down here," said the Wizard and Cygnus, recognizing the man, lowered his wand._ _

__"Edgar," he greeted the man. "This is a family matter."_ _

__"'Fraid so," said Edgar. "I was hired by this here lady's husband to come find her - and you didn't make it easy," he added as an aside to Andromeda._ _

__"She!" Cygnus stabbed a finger towards Andromeda. "Is not married. She will be marrying Lucius Malfoy."_ _

__"'Fraid not," said Edgar. "Seein' as she's already married. Your husband would really like you to come on home now," he continued his one-way side conversation with Andromeda._ _

__The calmness of the man in front of him unsettled Cygnus. He looked to Andromeda, then to Edgar. "And my other daughter?" he demanded. "Bones, what do you intend to do with her?"_ _

__Edgar shrugged, "I dunno. I expect you can do as you please with her. I can't make the little lady over here do anything she doesn't want to, just implore her to come home. Which, please do. Your man Ted there is mighty worried. Mighty persistent, but mighty worried."_ _

__Cygnus made to move his wand again, but Edgar cut him off, taking two quick steps to get between Andromeda and her father._ _

__"Now now," said Edgar. "I may not be an Auror, but the DMLE still teaches plenty of things, and with this moonlighting on the side of finding things people have managed to lose-"_ _

__"I am not a thing," Andromeda interrupted._ _

__Edgar sighed in a frustrated matter. "No," he said patiently. "You're not. But it was a figure of- you know what, never mind that. Cygnus Black, you can't force the little lady. She belongs to no-one. Except maybe herself, come of it. Either way, she keeps her own council. Seems she doesn't want to go with you, so I recommend scurrying along, so she and I can have a conversation about whether she wants to come with me or not. Or else, like I was saying, my DMLE teachings are going to be explained at your grave expense and neither of us want that, do we?"_ _

__Cygnus considered the situation._ _

__"Very well," he said quietly. "Tell Cissy I expect her back in twelve hours time."_ _

__He left with a quiet pop._ _

__"Excellent!" Edgar beamed. "Ma'am, I'm Edgar Bones, and-"_ _

__Andromeda sighed, "I know who you are, Edgar. We're both on Aunt Walburga's family tree."_ _

__Edgar looked pleased by this, "Ah, yes, we are, aren't we? You'd think with my marrying someone of impure- well, no matter, we've not properly met, have we? You, uh, you look to be causing some trouble for everyone. Care to put an end to it, maybe?"_ _

__Now that the threat of imminent danger had passed, she regarded Edgar for the first time. He, like the Prewett and Weasley families, had Scottish red hair, worn short and neatly cut. Probably a DMLE standard. He was on the shorter side, but he carried himself with exuding confidence and also had the ability to look terribly amused by everything that was happening, as though life was too short to take even staring down a Black about to harm his daughter very seriously. He was waiting for an answer._ _

__"I have to check with Cissy," she said. "My sister," she added._ _

__Edgar's swagger flickered with uncertainty for a moment. "Why'd they only report you missing, then, if it was the both of 'ya?"_ _

__Andromeda, who knew nothing of what had happened, quickly answered, "I'm older. More important. Cissy is expendable. A weakling."_ _

__As if on some terrible cue, Cissy appeared. She tackled Andromeda without warning, pinning her to the ground. Edgar shouted at them to stop, but the two grappled on the ground until Andromda had the upper hand, pinning Cissy to the earth._ _

__"You were never a good fighter," Andromeda said, standing. She offered a hand to Cissy, who begrudgingly took it._ _

__"Sorry," Cissy apologized. "I don't like being called weakling. My fa- our father. Well. You know how he is."_ _

__"We done fightin' ladies?" Edgar interrupted. "I'd love to spell this out some more, but Ted's burning Galleons by the hour and I'd start to feel I was taking advantage."_ _

__Cissy looked crestfallen. "You're leaving?" she said to Andromeda. "Andi, don't leave me. We still have so much time."_ _

__"Father knows about Ted," Andromeda said simply. "And Ted sent Edgar. I should go … take care of what I can. Father wants you home in twelve hours."_ _

__Edgar's full beam was back and now that he'd assessed that everyone was out of danger, he slipped his wand back up his sleeve and clapped his hands, "Ok! This is sifting together nicely, innit? Little lady, I'll escort you to your husband, and little lady two, are you - are you crying? Don't cry, little lady."_ _

__"You can't!" cried Cissy. "You can't leave, you just can't, we're not done yet, I don't want to be done! Please, Andi. Go to Ted, tell him you're okay. I'll go see Father and - I don't know. But don't leave. We can't stop. We've only just started."_ _

__While Cygnus could not move her to pity, the sight of a desolate Cissy, looking no larger than a child moved her._ _

__"Okay," she said quietly. "Okay, sis, the Wales concert isn't for two days, yea? I'll meet you there, okay? I'll meet you there."_ _

__Now Cissy beamed as easily as Edgar had. She threw her arms around Andromeda, whispering 'thank you' over and over again. Andromeda delicately detached herself._ _

__She offered Edgar her hand. "In for a knut," she said simply._ _

__The last thing she heard before Edgar disapparated them away was "And finish the song Mistress and Kreacher!" and she wondered if she finished it, if anyone would be in Wales to play it._ _

__*_ _

__The reunion with Ted was joyous, and even his younger sister joined in the hugs. Edgar stood to the side, and managed to not look awkward at all._ _

__"If I may," he said when the two newlyweds separated from one large lump of human into two and a half (Ted's sister was still but a child). "May I give some free advice?"_ _

__Ted looked apprehensive at what the advice might bring, but Andromeda just shrugged, "Sure cuz."_ _

__"Don't go to Wales. Announce your marriage properly. Maybe make a baby or two. Well, maybe not right away on the baby, you're both still practically babies yourself. Either way, consider this a clean detachment from the world of the Blacks," Edgar said. "You little ones have nothing but trouble coming the way the tides are brewing and you'd best just steer safely to different ports, if you know what I mean."_ _

__Ted was nodding vigorously, and protectively put an arm around Andromeda._ _

__"She's my sister," Andromeda said._ _

__Edgar interrupted before Andromeda could continue that thought, "Oh, and so is Bellatrix, innit? Can't have one without the other, love, that's the terrible way the world works. My sis Amelia? She and I don't get along too much, don't see eye to eye on things, she's far too serious for me. But when my brother wants-"_ _

__"Edgar!" Andromeda exclaimed. "Edgar, thank you. I do appreciate you showing up at the just right time, but you've done what you were paid to do. As my father said, this is a family thing."_ _

__"I am family," Edgar reminded her. "But I understand. Feel free to call on me if you need me."_ _

__Without waiting for a proper dismissal, he popped off._ _

__"Ted," Andromeda said carefully, "I have to go to Wales. And maybe a few other places as well."_ _

__*_ _

__BLACK HEIRESS FOUND IN ARMS OF MUGGLEBORN MAN!_ _

__Dumbledore folded up the Daily Prophet and stared grimly at Edgar Bones._ _

__"Oh Edward," he said softly. Nearby, Fawkes hooted gently. He addressed Edgar, "If you had let me do it my way, I might have delayed what is to come."_ _

__"You'd have hurt a lot of people," Edgar said, shrugging. "Maybe they deserve pity, maybe they don't, but if that was Maisie and Greta, I'd want 'em out of the papers in as quiet a way as possible. You're not going to break Ted, you know. He's too loyal. Hufflepuff. I can see it a mile away."_ _

__Dumbledore frowned. "I could have," he said._ _

__Edgar shook his head. "Whatever Andromeda's got going on with her sister - with the one that's Cissy, I mean - that's a bond you can't break. If I can offer some free advice?"_ _

__Dumbledore spread his hands, welcoming Edgar's words._ _

__"Don't try. Leave 'em be. She's not gonna fight her family. Didn't even have her wand out when Black was ready to end this whole thing. She's a pureblood who saved herself, Albus. Just like me. You can't get credit for 'em all. They'll come 'round. We'll see what happens after they pop out a few babies, yea? In the meantime, take this wash. Can't get a victory every time."_ _

__And Edgar left Dumbledore to his council. On his desk sat a sheet of parchment, with a list of names on it: Fenwick, Bones, Dearborn, Tonks and Black, Diggory, Figg._ _

__With a sigh, Dumbledore scratched Tonks and Black off the list._ _

__Meanwhile, in Wales, a crowd was gathering, waiting for the Black sisters to show up and play._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you have enjoyed! I tried to work in your prompt as well as all the themes you requested. I tried to make it not too much of an issue piece, but the idea of how the Black family would handle a trans character really intrigued me. The idea that all their fathers cared about was keeping a pureblood line going, no matter the cost, intrigued me. 
> 
> We all know what happens next, but getting there was a lot of fun!


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